Tag Archives: LIS careers

Thank you so much for reading, sharing, supporting, and ranting about Hiring Librarians.

I started this blog in February 2012, so we have been going for nearly 4 years. The first year, I found the topic so interesting that I was happy to spend a good deal of my free time working on it. The second and third years, I had a bit more going on in my professional life, a bit less interest in the topic, and it was only with the help of volunteers that we stayed robust. This last year, I have had some upheavals in my personal life, I’ve been much less interested in the topic, and I just really want to do non-blog-things with my free time. My involvement has been a bit auto-pilot this year.

So what does that mean for year 5?

I don’t have a new survey to post. I’m interested in exploring hiring and diversity, but I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out how to frame a survey that would end up illuminating the problem in a constructive way, rather than just providing a lot of potentially pain-causing confessions.

And I really don’t want to spend time writing this anymore. Frankly. I want to spend my free time on bike rides, hanging out with my friends, listening to music, and doing other fun stuff. And maybe writing an article or two, or serving on a committee or whatever. Just not this blog anymore.

So I’m turning out the lights.

I will keep the content up, and continue to purchase the domain. There are a few survey responses still to be posted, and we will post the final Further Questions question on the 29th. But after that, no new content will be posted (although of course you can always add to the Interview Questions Repository).

I want to say a big THANK YOU to the current active volunteers, who made this last year possible:

Sarah Keil has been writing the weekly Further Questions feature since June 2014.

Jen Devine has been transcribing surveys since March 2014.

Sherle Abrams has run the crowd-sourced resume/CV review service since May of 2014, and was a Further Question respondent for a while before that.

And I also want to say a big THANK YOU to all of the people who have helped with this project – all the previous volunteers, my co-authors for various surveys: Jill from Librarian Hire Fashion, Naomi House from I Need a Library Job, Brianna Marshall from (at the time) Hack Library School, the pool of Further Questions respondents, LIS career authors and researchers, the people who run LIS career sites, the people who run library school career centers, the tattooed librarians, job hunters who let me follow up with them, sometimes for multiple years, people who’ve added interview questions to the interview questions repository, candidates for ALA and other presidencies, anyone who responded to a survey, and of course YOU.

Thank YOU, reader.

You’re awesome. I know you will find a job you love and make the world a better place. GOOD LUCK WITH EVERYTHING!

Please help the job hunter below by using the comment button to offer constructive criticism on her resume. Some guidelines for constructive feedback are here, and the ALA NMRT has brief tips for reviewing resumes here.

This 2 page resume was submitted by a job hunter who says,

This is a resume and I’ve been applying for public librarian positions. This was not my original intent for my degree, but those are the positions that are open and I’m hoping to do a great job!

To submit your resume or CV For Public Review,

send it as a Word document, PDF, PNG or JPEG to hiringlibrariansresumereviewATgmail.

It will be posted as-is, so please remove any information that you are not comfortable having publically available (I suggest removing your address and phone number at a minimum).

Please include a short statement identifying if it’s a resume or CV and

describing the types of positions you’re using it for (ie institution type, position level, general focus).

Finally, you will also need to confirm that you agree to comment on at least five other posted resumes.

Please help the job hunter below by using the comment button to offer constructive criticism on her resume. Some guidelines for constructive feedback are here, and the ALA NMRT has brief tips for reviewing resumes here.

This 4 page resume was submitted by a job hunter who says,

The job I’m applying to is one that I desperately want but I haven’t looked for jobs in over four years. The job is for a Digital Archivist at a small, liberal arts college. I have to apply by September 1st.

The qualifications for the job are: “Required qualifications: Master’s in Library Science from an ALA accredited institution, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience working in archives with collection management applications; understanding of digital preservation standards and their application; excellent organizational and problem solving skills; strong written and verbal communication skills; flexibility and enthusiasm to accept, manage, and incorporate change and ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a dynamic environment. Desired qualifications: ability to collaborate with technical colleagues; project management; familiarity with ArchivesSpace.”

Instead of redacting personal information, I changed the information because I still want feedback on font size, type, layout, etc. I realize my Skills section in my resume is long, but there are many skills I learned in class that I didn’t get through work experience and I want to highlight that somehow.

To submit your resume or CV For Public Review,

send it as a Word document, PDF, PNG or JPEG to hiringlibrariansresumereviewATgmail.

It will be posted as-is, so please remove any information that you are not comfortable having publically available (I suggest removing your address and phone number at a minimum).

Please include a short statement identifying if it’s a resume or CV and

describing the types of positions you’re using it for (ie institution type, position level, general focus).

Finally, you will also need to confirm that you agree to comment on at least five other posted resumes.

Please help the job hunter below by using the comment button to offer constructive criticism on her resume. Some guidelines for constructive feedback are here, and the ALA NMRT has brief tips for reviewing resumes here.

This 2 page resume was submitted by a job hunter who says,

I’m a librarian that graduated in 2012 and haven’t had luck finding a library job. Unfortunately, that’s mostly due to the fact that I can’t leave my current location for a few more years. I’d love it if I had some new eyes looking at my application materials!

To submit your resume or CV For Public Review,

send it as a Word document, PDF, PNG or JPEG to hiringlibrariansresumereviewATgmail.

It will be posted as-is, so please remove any information that you are not comfortable having publically available (I suggest removing your address and phone number at a minimum).

Please include a short statement identifying if it’s a resume or CV and

describing the types of positions you’re using it for (ie institution type, position level, general focus).

Finally, you will also need to confirm that you agree to comment on at least five other posted resumes.

Please help the job hunter below by using the comment button to offer constructive criticism on her resume. Some guidelines for constructive feedback are here, and the ALA NMRT has brief tips for reviewing resumes here.

This 2 page resume was submitted by a job hunter who says,

I use this resume to apply for adult reference positions in public libraries. I have eight years of experience in working in a public library. In the past three years, I have had a few interviews when I submitted a resume with the same content, but different format. I’m now applying to the same libraries for a third and even fourth time and need some advice on creating a better resume.

To submit your resume or CV For Public Review,

send it as a Word document, PDF, PNG or JPEG to hiringlibrariansresumereviewATgmail.

It will be posted as-is, so please remove any information that you are not comfortable having publically available (I suggest removing your address and phone number at a minimum).

Please include a short statement identifying if it’s a resume or CV and

describing the types of positions you’re using it for (ie institution type, position level, general focus).

Finally, you will also need to confirm that you agree to comment on at least five other posted resumes.

Please help the job hunter below by using the comment button to offer constructive criticism on her resume. Some guidelines for constructive feedback are here, and the ALA NMRT has brief tips for reviewing resumes here.

This 2 page resume was submitted by a job hunter who says,

This resume is being used for a part-time contract position at a public library. I am assuming it is an entry level position. I don’t have a ton of experience in an actual library but I’ve tried to play up the customer service aspects in my previous jobs to show my skills are transferrable.

The posting lists the following qualifications:

 Graduate degree in Library or Information Science from an accredited institution or equivalent education

 Understanding and appreciation of the philosophy of public service to all, in accordance with human rights legislation and the principles of equity and access in the delivery of library service

 Professional skills, including information services, collection development and knowledge of adult, young people’s and children’s literature